The attack of a tiger shark against a Russian national, Thursday, June 8, off the Egyptian city of Hurghada, on the Red Sea, intrigued specialists.
The Red Sea is an important tourist destination in Egypt. Sharks are not rare there but very rarely attack swimmers if they do not exceed the authorized limits.
In July 2022, two tourists, an Austrian and a Romanian, were killed by a shark near Hurghada.
In 2018, a Czech tourist was also killed by a shark off an Egyptian beach in the Red Sea, as well as a German in 2015 and a German in 2010.
This time, Egypt’s environment ministry said the four-meter tiger shark had been caught and its examination revealed “abnormal behavior […] cause of the incident”.
Translation: “Capture, with the help of fishermen, of the shark that attacked the young Russian. »
It was fishermen who were able to catch this female shark, whose weight is estimated at one ton. The autopsy recovered part of the remains of the 23-year-old Russian victim. “There was nothing else in his stomach,” testified one of the specialists participating in the autopsy.
According to an Egyptian expert, interviewed by a local media, three reasons can explain why this tiger shark, which usually evolves in depths of more than twenty meters, has come so close to the shore.
“We are in a fishing ban period, so food for these sharks is readily available,” begins by noting expert Mahmoud Dar.
Protecting her babies
“Sharks approach the coasts in three cases: when certain boats throw the carcasses of animals into the water, when they are fed to attract them and when the females, at the time of giving birth to their young, prefer shallow waters to avoid male sharks or other enemies,” says the expert.
“The female shark inspects these kinds of places several times, secures it and stays on her guard, very aggressive, because she protects her babies,” he continues. The animal can attack any living being in the vicinity of this safe area.
Egypt on high alert after shark attacks in Red Sea
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According to the autopsy, in fact, the shark was carrying several embryos in its uterus, which could explain its aggressive behavior.
According to local sources, the authorities are considering launching an anti-shark attack plan. The idea would be to force hotels and tourist resorts along the Red Sea coast to install nets preventing the approach of sharks to the beaches.
Paying little attention to its prey, the tiger shark is considered particularly aggressive. He is often involved in attacks on men, but these remain rare in absolute value.
Shark bites are very rare: all species combined, there are no more than 80 cases per year worldwide, including less than five fatal cases.
